Ain't No Sunshine
by Melodramatic.FruitCup
Summary: I wish I could say that I had been brave, that I was stoic and my face was unmarked by tears. At least I had bruises to prove that I had fought back but Fate is a cruel mistress and she gets what she wants, one way or another. I guess she really wanted me to be vampire. Future pairings undecided. Summary in profile.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.

* * *

The cheering was the worst. It unfettered my fears and I was sure that every vampire could hear the rapid, hard hitting beat of my heart. It made my chest ache and my sobs all the more painful. The crying had started after I had fought my captors tooth and nail (literally). I only succeeded in getting hurt.

If I had known going to the drugstore after sunset was so dangerous I would've stayed home and gone without milk for my coffee the next morning. Or maybe I would've taken my car and not my bike, which had made it a breeze for whoever abducted me to shove me in the trunk of their car faster than I could blink.

The transition between bike and trunk had been so sudden it dazed me. It made my brain move like molasses and I am ashamed to say it took me a few minutes to realize I had been kidnapped along with my carton of milk, the bag handle still looped over my wrist.

But now my predicament was crystal clear as my eyes darted around, unable to focus on any one thing until they rested on the man on a makeshift throne. He looked utterly bored and it chilled me. My pain meant nothing to these vampires and he was a prime example. He wore an expensive looking pinstripe suit with an understated, ugly tie and in his left hand he held a pretentious cane. For some reason, the cane really pissed me off.

The only vampire that appeared unnerved was the one standing a few feet away from me. I was kneeling on my scraped knees so I had to crane my neck up to look up at him. He had wavy, dark brown hair and sad eyes.

The man with the ugly tie was saying something but I couldn't focus on his words. The jeers from the crowd filled my ears instead but my life was on the line so I forced my full attention onto the man.

"Luisa," the man on the throne said. I had no clue who Luisa was or what she was supposed to do but I quickly found out.

"No!" A girl yelled from behind me.

I turned around and saw a girl with red hair that couldn't be more than seventeen lying on the ground.

"No," the vampire next to me said after he saw the girl.

"Oh, precious Jesus, God, save me, save me. Make it all a dream," the girl begged and my heart went out to her. She was so young. I was terrified myself but she must be ten times more scared than me.

The vampire beside me looked horrified. Well, as horrified as a vampire could look. As far as I know they weren't ones to show strong emotion, at least in front of humans. "Put me in the coffin, Magister. I will go willingly." Yes please, send him to a coffin. If that'll mean our freedom. I don't want to pay for the sins of a stranger.

"Please, it's the first time I ever snuck out. I just wanted to go to Ashley's party. I only ever get to go to youth choir and prayer group," the girl said as she was dragged by Luisa and put to the left of me. "I won't say a word to Mama and Daddy or anybody. Please, please, just help me."

"There's no help for you here, child," the vampire with the cane said. The girl cried even harder and I reached out to grab her hand. She looked at me, startled, and I tried to give her a reassuring smile. I'm sure I spectacularly failed but the girl gripped my hand as if it was a life line.

"I'm feeling generous tonight William Compton. You get to choose one or the other," the Magister waved his hand towards us. What was this William Compton choosing us for? I knew it was nothing good.

"If you want to torture anyone, torture me," William Compton said. I didn't condone torture but I would willingly see him tortured if it meant I could walk away from this alive.

"Torture? This? I don't think so. I could show you torture, if you like." Under his light tone hid a strong threat. So strong it scared the vampire next to me and that's when I knew there was no hope for me. I could fight whatever this was all I wanted but I was only human and I had never felt so weak in my entire life.

"No, no. I was wrong to speak."

"You can quit stalling. What you see in these cows, Mr. Compton is merely a response to stimuli. Humans are quite...primitive. Incapable of feeling pain as we do. But you know that," the Magister said. What an ass.

"Please, please don't let them kill me. Please. I don't want to die," the girl said, looking up at William Compton.

"Help us," I said in a hoarse whisper even though I knew he couldn't. He didn't have the power here.

The Magister didn't acknowledge our pleas. "According to our records, you have never been a Maker," he said. "Is that right?"

Maker. I knew what that meant and the breath left my body, effectively ending my sobs. My eyes went wide and I shook my head furiously. I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

"Yes," William Compton answered.

"But you know the procedure?" the Magister asked.

"Yes."

"Then proceed," the Magister said as if he hadn't made a life altering decision on my or the girl's behalf.

William Compton slowly crouched in front of us looking like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world than here. He turned his attention to the girl first.

"My name is Bill. What's yours?"

"Jessica."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

Bill's jaw clenched. He turned to look at the Magister. "What will happen to the girl I don't choose?"

"She will be glamoured to forget this whole ordeal and returned home."

My chest burned and my body forced me to take a breath. At least I could speak now and I knew what I had to do. "Choose me." I hate to say I didn't sound very confident.

Bill looked at me and our eyes met. I was determined to not look away. "You would trade your life for hers?" Bill asked.

"She's just a girl," I said.

"But you are young too," Bill countered.

"Just get it over with," I said. There was no point in prolonging this.

"Yes, do. You are boring me. Shut up and get on with it," the Magister said.

"What's your name?" Bill asked me.

"Tallula Riggs."

"Okay, Tallula. Look into my eyes. Everything will be fine," he said. I felt a momentary tug on my mind but then nothing. Whatever he was trying to do it wasn't working.

"I hate to interrupt but glamour is not permitted," the Magister said.

Bill looked me in the eyes one more time. "Forgive me."

The anguish in his voice didn't move me. I knew this was his punishment for some vampire transgression and I was paying for it too. "No."

He moved my head to the side to expose my neck and brushed away a few stray hairs before he lowered his head towards me. I heard the click of his fangs and a wail tried to escape me but I held it back with all I had in me. I was done crying.

He was gentle. I could barely feel his fangs pierce my skin and the first draw of blood felt strange. I closed my eyes trying to pretend I was somewhere else but I had never been good at daydreaming.

Bill growled, honest to God growled, and detached himself from my neck. He yelled and I peeked at him. His face was directed at the sky. I don't know what the hell was so painful for him. I was the one getting drained and he was the one being dramatic.

He looked down at me, his gaze on my bloody neck, and I saw his eyes. His pupils so dilated they were almost completely black. My blood dripping down his chin disturbed me as much as it disgusted me.

With vampire speed he bit down on my neck again and this time he was not gentle. I screamed as his fangs ripped into me. He drew me close against his body and held me with an iron grip. It could have been a lover's embrace under completely different circumstances.

Struggling was of no use so I stopped fighting and went limp. The only thing keeping me from collapsing onto the ground was Bill's arms.

My eyes fluttered and I closed them again. I could feel life slipping away and soon the pain became distant, only a mild sting and I welcomed the reprieve.

I thought about the rent due at the end of the week and then I took my last breath as a human.

* * *

The next thing I felt was a heavy weight pressing down on my entire body. I opened my mouth and dirt filled it, choking me. I couldn't breathe but then realized I didn't need to.

It had happened. I was vampire. And for some reason I had been buried alive... well undead.

I pushed my arms upwards and the dirt moved. I felt strong and knew if I had still been a human I wouldn't have been able to push the dirt upwards. Without wasting any time, I began to claw my way out.

I'd never had experience with digging myself out from the Earth so I had no idea if I took a long or short time breaking free. I felt humid air against my hand as I finally reached the top and my head soon followed. I immediately spit the dirt out of my mouth and coughed some up that had made it down my throat.

I could appreciate, but not fully because I was the one going through it, the symbolism of being reborn. It felt like a ritual and it must be a necessary one because I think vampires would think of something grander when turning a human into a vampire than the indignity of being buried. Or maybe Bill was a weirdo.

I concentrated on pulling myself the rest of the way out and when I was completely above ground I sat in the freshly churned dirt and stared at my hands. Dirt was caked under my fingernails and I longed for a shower. I brushed the loose dirt off of my face and finally looked around. Bill was sitting a few feet away staring at me. I resisted giving him the finger because I didn't feel like making my Maker mad so early in our relationship.

Our relationship. I shuddered. I knew enough about vampires, thanks to a former roommate who crafted their thesis around vampire sexuality, that the relationship between Maker and their progeny was usually sexual at some point. There was no way in hell I would let that happen.

I glared at Bill.

"You are taking this remarkably well," he said.

"Screw you." The contempt in my voice was lost as I coughed up a bit more dirt.

"Here, I have some TruBlood." He stood up with a bottle in his hand, walked towards me, and extended it out for me to take.

I was starving so I begrudgingly took the bottle and read the label.

"It's O-negative. It's what I prefer but I bought a variety pack in case you wanted something else."

"How the hell am I supposed to know what blood type I like?" I took the cap off the bottle and sniffed it. It didn't smell promising.

"My wording was wrong. It's in case you want to _try_ something different."

"How thoughtful," I deadpanned. I took a sip and immediately spit it out. I looked at Bill like he was crazy. "Is this a joke? This tastes terrible."

"You will get used to it." He didn't sound very convincing but I decided to give it another try. I drank a mouthful and while I was trying to swallow it I gagged. Seconds after I lowered the bottle from my lips I threw up the synthetic blood, managing to turn my head in time so it hit the dirt instead of getting on me.

"This is vile. I need mouthwash."

"Here, try the A-positive." Bill handed me another bottle.

I learned my lesson the first two times and only let a few drops touch my tongue. "This one's even worse."

Bill sighed. "How about the B-negative?"

"No. I am a vampire and it's all your fault and I want some real blood because I'll be damned if I do this half-assed. Isn't there someone you hate around here?" I'd even take a filthy, racist redneck at this point.

"It doesn't matter if I hate someone or not. You are not feeding from a person," Bill said firmly. "I am mainstreaming and so will you."

"Is it normal that I feel like ripping your throat out?" My hand itched to lash out and sink my nails deep into his neck.

"Yes. Baby vampires have impulse control and a strong tendency towards violence but I will teach you to control yourself."

"How long is that going to take?" I asked while I stood up more gracefully than should have been possible.

"A few years, if we're lucky," Bill said.

"Years?" I gaped at him. "I have a life. An apartment. A job. I can't just disappear. People will look for me." The last part was a tiny lie. The only friends I had were from work and all I had left of my family was an aunt and uncle I never talked to. We didn't even exchange Christmas cards.

"You will quit your job and your apartment will be taken care of."

"Taken care of?"

"I will continue to pay rent and it will remain as it is or you can move your belongings into my house, where you will be staying regardless."

"Hold up." I shook my head and took a step back, my feet sinking a little into the loose dirt. "I'm moving in with you? I don't think so."

"You don't have a choice," Bill said in a voice that very much said I didn't have a choice and arguing would be useless. "You are my child and I am responsible for you."

"Child? That's creepy."

"Nevertheless, that's what you are."

I crossed my arms, a childish thing to do and I noted the irony but decided to continue my petulant behavior. "Don't expect a present for Father's Day."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said with a faint smile. Was his southern charm showing? Because that is not going to work on me. "Come, I'll show you to your new home. It's not far from here."

I trailed behind him willingly only because a house meant a bathroom and a bathroom meant a hot shower.

We walked through the woods. I wasn't paying attention to where we were going because I was distracted by the thousands of colors around me. Nature had never looked so green, even in the dark. The moonlight glowed like it never had before and I ran into Bill's back, not realizing that he had stopped. It was like walking into a brick wall.

My face smarted for a few seconds, especially my nose and my ego, and I stepped out from behind him to get a look at our destination. I was sorely disappointed.

"This is your house? This place is a dump."

"I have not finished renovating but inside it is better." Bill began walking to the front door and I followed him.

"Does better mean working indoor plumbing?"

"Yes, and hot water."

"At least something's gone right," I said bitterly, standing on the front porch while Bill unlocked the door. Everything else had gone wrong. "Hey, what happened to Jessica?"

We stepped inside and Bill turned on the lights. The place was still a dump but it was better than the outside. "She was glamoured and taken home."

"How are you sure? Because it'd be a big 'Fuck You' from the universe if she's been harmed."

"I am sure. You can trust me." Bill motioned me to follow him up the stairs.

"I don't trust vampires."

Bill sighed, sounding world weary which I suppose he was. "If you like I can find out her address and we'll check on her later this week."

"That's a big, fat yes from me. I'll even say please." We were at the top of the stairs and Bill turned to look at me. "Yes, please."

"So you do have manners. Good."

"Fuck you," I said. I mean, I did curse a lot but this was a little much but I couldn't seem to help myself. I wanted to be rude to Bill. He totally deserved it.

"I have spoken too soon," he said dryly. "This way."

He made a right and he directed me to a door. "This is the bathroom. There are fresh towels and a robe I suggest you put on instead of your dirty clothes after you are clean. I'll be downstairs."

He left, with vampire speed might I add, and I opened the door, not expecting much but man was I wrong.

After taking a bath in the most expensive tub I had ever been in I went back downstairs wrapped up in a brown robe a little too big for me, leaving my dirt-encrusted clothes on the floor. Good riddance.

I found Bill in what I supposed was a study. He looked up from a newspaper he was reading and nodded at me. I scrunched up my nose. "Why are you wearing a robe too?" And a matching one, no less.

"Dawn is in less than an hour and we are going to ground. Usually I am in the nude."

"Ew."

"As a practicality." He folded up the newspaper. "It cuts down on laundry but as a courtesy I have put on this robe."

"So by ground?"

Bill stood up and strode towards me. "We are going underground."

"Seriously?"

"Any more questions?" He asked with a quirk of his brow.

"Only a million."

He led me to a door to underneath the stairs. He opened it and then opened a trap door.

"Clever," I said. The trap door wasn't detectable, even if you were looking for one.

"And it's light proof. We'll be safe in here." Bill grabbed a flashlight off of a nearby shelf and handed it to me. "It can be a little disorienting waking up in an unfamiliar place in the dark."

"No shit."

"Tallula," he said with stern voice.

"Fine." I cocked my head and smiled. "Wow, no kidding? I never would've guessed."

"Sarcasm does not suit you."

"Says the vampire with no sense of humor."

Bill stepped back and ignored what I said. "Here, take a look around."

I did as he said and stooped on the floor, shining the flashlight around in the large hole underneath the house. "What? No mattress?"

"I do not find one necessary."

"Do you like being uncomfortable? Is that some sort of complex you have? Because the guy that bought that bathtub does not mesh with the guy who doesn't put a freaking mattress in the hole he sleeps in."

"Get in. The sun is coming up and we'll discuss our sleeping arrangements later."

I hopped into the hole and settled down on the dirt ground against a dirt wall. Big sigh.

Bill followed me in and closed the trap door behind us. He laid down as far away from me as he could which was fine with me and told me a few vampire fun facts about sleeping. One of them being about the bleeds, which sounded gross.

I turned the light off and closed my eyes. An overwhelming exhaustion fell over me like never before. Not even during finals. In a few seconds, I was dead to the world.

* * *

My eyes popped open and of course it was still pitch black. I guess I'd have to get used to that. As I felt for the flashlight at my side I noticed I hadn't moved an inch since I went to sleep. Usually I was all over the place, waking up with my legs twisted up in my sheets or my head on the wrong end of the bed. Sometimes my blankets and pillows would be on the floor and the lamp on my nightstand was occasionally knocked over if I had a particularly active dream. But nope, I hadn't moved at all. I really had been dead for the day and that freaked me out a little. No wonder Bill had us in this secret hidey-hole. Anybody could come in and kill us and we'd never be the wiser.

I still wanted a mattress though. And a fluffy pillow.

I turned the flashlight on and amazed myself out how instantly my eyes adjusted to the change in light. I was also glad to realize that I had no aches or pains from lying on the hard ground. No chiropractor for me anymore. Hey, no more paying health insurance either. That brightened my mood a tiny bit until my hunger slammed me out of my thoughts back into my grim reality and made me groan.

I was literally bloodthirsty. Nothing metaphorical about it.

My fangs clicked and I ran a tongue experimentally over their sharp points. My tongue should've sliced open but I guess I was made of stronger stuff now.

I pointed the beam of light at Bill who was still dead to the world. Weird. He said he'd be the first one to wake up. Apparently, baby vampires were notorious for sleeping in.

I crawled over to Bill and sat a few feet away from him. I kept the light on his face and studied it. He could be considered handsome, in a kind of ragged and depressing sort of way. Definitely not my type. It looked like he'd had a hard life before he'd been turned and I wondered how old he was.

I scooted closer to him until my knees were almost touching his side. I leaned over him and poked his cheek. Nothing. I pushed his shoulder but he didn't stir.

As I was busy staring at his face, my fingers, completely against my will, traced his lips. They were cool and smooth. I pulled my hand away, expecting him to wake up and catch me doing something decidedly creepy. What was wrong with me?

Utterly horrified at myself, I bent over him and ghosted my lips over his. As soon as I did it I nearly shrieked and sat straight up. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, the one that hadn't betrayed me by touching Bill's lips.

This was fucking weird and royally screwed up. I loathed this man but something inside me was grateful to him. Looking back at last night I realized that I had been drawn towards him but I was too wrapped in my own shock and misery that I hadn't really noticed it. I did now and it sucked.

"What are you doing?"

I nearly shrieked again. I moved the light away from Bill and tried to save face. "Politely waiting for you to wake up while invading your personal space." Real smooth, Tallula. I moved away from him to give him back his personal space.

"I'm surprised you're up already," he said as he sat up and stretched. "The sun has only set a few minutes ago."

"How do you know?"

"We can feel it," he said. I looked at him skeptically. "You can feel it. Close your eyes and concentrate."

"On what?"

"Just concentrate."

I dutifully closed my eyes and waited a few seconds to feel something but all I felt was stupid. "I don't—"

"Keep trying."

I gritted my teeth to keep myself from talking and tried to concentrate. A minute must have passed and I almost gave up but then I felt the night. Honest to God, I felt the Sun moving away from us and I felt its impending return which I'm sure I could now pinpoint down to the exact second.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Holy shit." There was nothing else I could say. This was amazing.

Bill nodded, looking like a proud parent which in a messed-up vampire way, he was.

He showed me how to open the trap door and once we were above ground he didn't waste any more time on me. "I have some errands to run." He sped away leaving me dumbfounded and he appeared no more than twenty seconds later fully dressed. Okay, he had to show me how to do that.

"There are some clothes laid out in the bathroom. They are mine so they will be big but we will get you some clothes later tonight. Make yourself at home. I will be back shortly."

"What does 'shortly' mean to a vampire?"

Bill paused. "It depends on the vampire. For now, it means a few hours."

"Fine, whatever. I guess I can find something to do in this mausoleum," I said feeling like a moody teenager, which I hadn't been in years.

"If you are fond of reading there are plenty of books in the library."

"You have a library?" I asked, my interest piqued. What kind of books did a dusty old vampire have? Dusty books, probably.

Bill pointed me in the direction of the library and my enthusiasm seemed to satisfy in him that I wouldn't be getting into any trouble while he was gone.

Only some of the books were dusty and most of them were old. I ran my index finger along the spines and chose books at random. I ended up finding an overdue library book last checked out in 1939. It was about the War of Northern Aggression. What a load of shit. I chucked that one into the fireplace.

Satisfied with my pickings I settled onto a creaky, faded old sofa with the full intention of reading until Bill came back.

I spent two hours trying to read, a stack of discarded books at my side evidence of my efforts but I was starving and my hunger consumed most of my concentration. This was worse than craving Ben & Jerry's during my period.

I gave up and instead of tearing the pages out of the book in my hand like I really, really wanted to, I closed the book and set it with the others I had abandoned. The house had no air conditioning which didn't bother me temperature-wise but with no air conditioner and no open windows, the air inside was stuffy. I decided that I absolutely needed to be outside or I'd die.

After death, I realized I had become rather dramatic. Now I understood why Bill was acting like a drama queen while draining me. Maybe it was a vampire thing.

Stepping outside was wonderful. All the colors were still there for me to study at my leisure. It even momentarily made me forget that the last time I ate I had been alive.

I was aimlessly wondering around the woods when the wind shifted and I smelled a... human. How did I know what a human smells like? I shouldn't know but I did, so I took off after the scent. Whoever it was, they were going to have the honor of being my first blood donor.

I ran with vampire speed to the edge of another yard. There was a pretty, blonde woman getting out of a beat up yellow car. She was around my age and we were the same height but she was a few sizes smaller than I was.

She smelled like beer and burgers but under that was something divine. It's what I imagine sunshine smelled like and my fangs came out with a click. I still hadn't learned to completely control them. Being a vampire would take surprisingly more practice than I thought it would.

I couldn't have taken more than a few steps forward to my first proper meal before I was slammed onto the ground, my neck held in a vice grip and I looked up at a feral Bill. His face was more beast than human. This vampire was no joke and if my heart still worked I'm sure it would have stopped beating out of fear. But I'd be damned if I let on exactly how scared I was so I glared at him.

"She is _mine_ ," he growled.

"Sure, whatever the hell that means," I croaked, throwing in a shrug for good measure.

His hand tightened around my throat. "It means you will never touch her."

"Not even a handshake?" I was just barely able to whisper.

Bill snarled and I guess he didn't like my joke but I hadn't really intended him to. Maybe I had a death wish I wasn't aware of yet. He lifted my head off the ground and slammed it down. Okay, talk about parental abuse.

My arms were free so without remorse I clawed his chest and I did more damage than I thought I would. He grunted and let go of me. Once I was out of his grasp I rolled away from him, rubbing my sore neck. With my new vampire speed I stood up and faced him. The front of his shirt was bloody and in tatters. I looked at my hands and the ends of my fingers were red.

"I hope that hurt, asshole," I said.

Bill took a threatening step towards me and I hissed. Good lord. I didn't know I had that in me but it seemed to stop Bill. The tension in his shoulders went away a little and his fangs retracted.

"I apologize. You do not know any better and it is my fault for not teaching you," he said. That wasn't what I expected but I'd go along with it.

"No shit Sherlock." I crossed my arms feeling a little smug when I probably shouldn't. "You left a brand new, starving baby vamp to their own devices. That sounds plain stupid."

"There is TruBlood at the house," he said but I could tell even he knew that excuse was weak.

"And it is truly godawful."

Bill sighed. "Let's get you back to the house. What were you doing out here anyways?"

I shrugged. "You said I should make myself at home. So I assumed that included your land and I strayed a little."

His eyebrows raised. If I didn't know any better I would've said he was a little amused. "I will use more precise wording in the future."

We walked for a minute but I couldn't stand the silence and my curiosity was peaked. He hadn't explained who this delicious smelling blonde woman was to him.

"So who is she? Your girlfriend?"

"Yes," he said stiffly.

I snorted. "How'd that happen? She like your sunny personality?"

"It is none of your business."

"I think it's plenty my business if I'm stuck with you for the next few decades."

He stopped walking and grabbed my arm, jerking me to a standstill. "You will not interact with her unless I say so. As your Maker, I command it."

I stared at him with wide eyes for a few seconds but his face was so serious I couldn't hold back a laugh. "Uh, no. I don't do commands."

"As your Maker, I command it." He enunciated each word as if it should make a difference.

"Maybe if you say 'please'," I said.

I tried to pull away from him but he kept a strong hold on me so I huffed and looked back at him.

"Tallula. Do you not feel compelled to obey me?"

I shook my head. "Not even a tiny bit."

"This is serious," he said in a grave voice. What was he talking about?

" _Everything_ is serious with you. I think your idea of fun is filing your taxes."

Abruptly, he started walking again with great purpose and began dragging me along with him.

"What are you doing?" I asked after several failed attempts to get my arm back.

It took him until the graveyard I had passed by earlier to answer me. "We are going to my car."

I was afraid again. "Where are you taking me?"

"To the Sheriff."

* * *

 **A/N: This is sort of an interest check chapter because apparently I hate myself and couldn't stop from starting a new fanfiction. A couple weeks ago I reread the SVM series and then I started rewatching True Blood. And then this happened. So if you're interested, let me know and I'll continue it. If not, well it'll sit here and look pretty, I guess.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Holy smokes. Thank you to permisable, Capo LunaRossa, Emmettluver2010, Liz, Jfozz, Racheeele, calice45, Aryabloodlust, Catherine Smith, and 3rd for the reviews! I read them so many times to keep me going and I'm amazed at the positive feedback for something I almost didn't think was worth posting. Finding a new review in the morning was better than three cups of coffee. And of course, thank you for the follows and the favorites.**

 **So the pressure is now on and I hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint you.**

Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.

* * *

I didn't get any more answers out of Bill and it was turning out to be the worst car ride of my life. The tension was palpable and I'm sure it would have suffocated me if I had still needed to breathe to survive. He wouldn't even let me keep the radio on which would've helped me ignore the fact that my life was no longer my own to do with as I pleased. Damn vampires.

He was driving like a maniac and if it wasn't for my quick vampire senses I would've missed the sign that said Shreveport was ten miles away. It's then I realized I had no clue what town Bill's house was in. At least we were still in Louisiana.

"So, are we going to Shreveport?"

No answer.

"What's a Sheriff?" I asked for the fourth time.

Silence.

"This is bullshit. I'll jump out of this car unless you tell me what's going on." To prove my point I cracked open the door and felt the air whoosh in, messing up my hair. It would be a bitch to get the tangles out. Wait, did a vampire's hair grow? Was I stuck with my haircut for the rest of my prolonged life?

"You will do no such thing." Finally, he spoke.

"I will too." I opened the door further and leaned towards it. I hadn't put my seatbelt on so it looked more threatening than if I had been buckled in.

"As your Maker, I command you to shut the door."

"No."

Bill slammed his fist on the steering wheel making the car swerve a little and I tipped further to the side, opening the door even wider.

"You are not supposed to be able to resist my direct orders."

Good, we were getting somewhere. I closed the door and settled back into my seat. "I'm not?"

"No, it's unheard of unless the Maker has released their progeny from their bond."

"We have a bond?" How come I was only hearing of this right now? That's kind of important information and I'm pretty sure it's part of Vampire 101. And it explained why I had kissed him, although it could hardly be called a kiss. Right?

"Yes. At least we're supposed to." Bill frowned. "Right now I am unsure."

"Good. I don't want a bond with you." I perked up. "Does this mean I don't have to live with you?"

"Not necessarily. But you'll still do as you're told. You are a newborn and you need guidance."

I couldn't argue against that. I knew jack shit about being a vampire and I had a feeling there was so much more to find out. Vampires were secretive and now I would be privy to their society. I'd already had a taste of it. Their trials were barbaric and so not in line with the public image that Nan Flanagan kept pushing. What a fraud.

We pulled up to a building where the parking lot was nearly full. "Fangtasia? I've heard of this place. Popular vampire bar that I have zero interest in visiting. So not my style."

"This is the place of business of our Sheriff." Bill explained as he parked the car. "His name is Eric Northman and if you want to remain unharmed I suggest you don't speak. And if you insist on speaking, do not sass him."

"I don't sass," I said. Bill gave me a long stare. "Okay, maybe I do a little bit." More staring. "Okay, a lot. But you deserve it for turning me into a monster."

He had nothing to say to that. We got out of the car and began walking to the entrance. "You must show the utmost respect."

"Yeah, yeah."

Bill stopped walking and grabbed my arm so I would too. "Take this seriously, Tallula. If not for me, then for your own sake."

This sounded ominous so I decided I was going to try to take his advice. I couldn't make any promises because of my new impulse control issues. At least that's what I'm going to blame it on. It was a nice cop out since it wasn't my fault I was a vampire but Bill's.

We breezed right past the long line of fangbangers with a handful of tourists and a group of college students who needed to be studying or beer ponging somewhere far away from vampires. Aside from the fangbangers, who looked like they wanted bad things to happen to them, all those humans could be a meal against their will and that's the last thing they might do on this earth. I wanted to glamour them to run but I didn't know how to do that yet and I'm sure Mr. Sheriff wouldn't take kindly to me for chasing away his customers.

There were a few protests and I decided to hiss at them. It was actually quite fun when you weren't doing it because you were at risk of bodily harm from your asshole Maker. My fangs even came out which seemed to delight about ninety percent of the humans and the rest looked like they were reconsidering their daring night out. Good. Run while you still have a choice.

Bill wasn't a fan and gave me an admonishing look but really, like that was going to make me feel bad. "Put your fangs away."

"I don't know how to control that yet." I smirked, which was a little hard to do with my fangs out. Put that on the list of things I need to practice.

"At least try."

I sighed. I thought about how it feels when my fangs come out and sort of tried to reverse that. It took a few seconds but it worked.

We reached the entrance and came upon a female vampire guarding the door. She had blonde hair and was wearing too much red leather for it to work but somehow she pulled it off.

"Why hello there, Tallula," she said, completely ignoring Bill. "It's nice to see you up and walking. You look much prettier when you're not crying."

"Uh, thanks?" She must've been at the trial and I tried to remember if I'd seen her but I was drawing a blank.

"Tallula, this is Pamela. Eric's child," Bill said.

"Call me Pam," she drawled. She looked me up and down, raising an eyebrow at my attire which up until now I had completely forgotten that I looked ridiculous and I squirmed under her gaze. This was not the first impression I wanted to make.

"Pleased to meet you," I said, hoping it was indeed a pleasure to make her acquaintance. She was the second vampire I've met face to face and the first female one. A part of me hoped we could be friends but she seemed so above me that my chances were slim. God, I felt so lonely.

"Bill, I see that you're taking excellent care of your child," Pam said, making Bill look uncomfortable. Ha.

"We are still settling in," he said.

"I'm sure you are. Is this visit business or pleasure?" Pam asked Bill while still staring at me.

"Business. Is Eric here?"

"Eric is still in his office. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you." Pam's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "You know the way."

Pam stepped aside and I got a full view of the place. I didn't know what to expect from a vampire bar but honestly, I should've known what to expect from a vampire bar.

"What do you think?" Pam asked me. The question startled me because I hadn't realized she was still paying me any attention.

"It's very... red." It was all I could say that wouldn't come across as rude and I hadn't met Eric Northman yet and I liked Pam as of this moment so I had no reason to be disrespectful to their livelihood.

"Come Tallula," Bill ordered and I did a small wave of goodbye at Pam before following after Bill.

We had to walk through the bar and people ignored me in favor of Bill but I got a few strange looks most likely because I was wearing ill-fitting men's clothing. It's not like they had a right to judge me with their stereotypical gothic attire that most of them probably had never worn before the Revelation. Not that I had anything against goths but it felt like the fangbangers here were trying too hard. I kind of feel sorry for them.

Bill led me to a back hallway and we stopped in front of a door which he knocked on.

"Enter," a deep voice said. Bill opened the door and I trailed in behind him. He blocked my view of the Sheriff and I wondered if he was doing that on purpose.

The office of this mighty Sheriff surprised me. I expected it to be more in line with the bar but there were only two gothic-ish red and black chairs in front of a rather ordinary desk and a red lamp in the back corner. The office also worked as a storage closet for things like extra merchandise and alcohol.

Could vampires get drunk? Maybe by drinking from a drunk person but wouldn't the alcohol get metabolized too fast? 'Metabolized' might be the wrong word because I don't think vampires have a metabolism. And I'm drifting. Focus, Tallula.

Anyways, whoever this boss vampire was, I could tell he was practical and not too afraid to get his hands dirty. Take that Introduction to Psychology that I dropped after the first week of classes.

"Sit. Both of you," the Sheriff said and Bill moved aside to take the chair on the right so I took the one on the left.

The man behind the desk immediately intimidated me. Eric Northman had a commanding presence, exuded power, and even with him sitting down I could tell he was tall. He felt much older than Bill or Pam. Was detecting relative age a vampire sense?

I tried to keep my face neutral and I think I was succeeding. We waited for him to look up from whatever paperwork had captured his attention. A few minutes of strained silence passed before he deigned to look up at us.

Eric's gaze went over Bill and he stared at me with piercing blue eyes so I crossed my arms, looking right back at him. For some reason I didn't want him to think I was weak.

Eric looked away first, not because he was backing down but because he was dismissing me for the moment. I was too relieved to feel offended and after all, I knew I wasn't seen as very important and I had done nothing to earn any status in the vampire world. But hey, I was only a two day—wait—two night old vampire so I gave myself a break.

"Have you not been feeding her Bill?" Eric asked. Huh, did I look like shit or something?

"She refuses to drink TruBlood," my sorry excuse of a Maker said.

"You can hardly blame her," Eric said. Yes! Maybe this vampire would make Bill let me have a proper meal. I could only hope.

Bill began to speak but Eric cut him off. "Why are you here and why have you brought her with you?" he said, getting straight down to business. I guess he didn't like small talk which seemed perfectly in line with his persona.

"I need a favor," Bill said. I had a strong feeling that this favor had something to do with me. Bill wouldn't want me around unless there was a good reason I needed to be with him.

"Really?" Eric asked, his interest piqued.

"I would be in your debt. And of course, I will return it."

"That is a given. What is it you want from me?"

"I need you to take care of Tallula," Bill said. What? I felt my neutral face replaced by a bewildered one. I'd say this was a joke but I don't think Bill makes very many of those, if any at all. I didn't know Eric Northman and I had no clue how he is or if he'd be better than Bill, even though Bill set the bar low. So low a limbo champion couldn't get under it.

"She is your punishment, not mine. What am I supposed to do with her?" Eric asked. Thanks for reminding me I was a punishment and thus a burden. What a great boost to my self-esteem.

"I cannot have her around. She tried to attack Sookie," Bill said.

"Her name's Sookie? Wow, that's even worse than my name." I let out a short laugh but then noticed that Eric now looked like he wanted to attack me. "I wasn't going to kill her." Eric still looked pissed. "Look, I didn't know who she was. I'm fucking starving here and Bill left me alone and she smells amazing."

This seemed to calm Eric down a little bit although he still looked at me with narrowed eyes. Why was this Sookie so important to him? She wasn't _his_ girlfriend.

"Command her to leave Sookie alone. There, problem solved."

Bill minutely shifted in his chair and he looked uncomfortable again. "She does not obey my commands."

Eric tilted his head to the left a few millimeters. "Show me."

Bill turned to me. "Tallula, go stand in the corner. As your Maker, I command you."

"Nope," I said, immensely satisfied with my disobedience.

Eric looked at me as if I had just done something astonishing. "Did you release her of your bond?"

"No, I did not."

"Interesting," Eric said.

"As you can see, I cannot guarantee that I can control her so she is a danger to Sookie. I also have urgent matters I must attend to."

"Urgent matters of Sookie," I said sullenly and Bill didn't deny it.

"Haven't you done enough for her?" Eric asked.

"If any harm were to come to her because of my absence, you would be..." Bill trailed off. Woah, was he threatening Eric?

"What?" Eric asked, leaning forward a little and looking suspicious.

"Without her helpful skills," Bill said. Now I was suspicious. I barely knew Bill but I could tell he was deflecting. Also, what 'helpful skills' did Sookie have that vampires would be interested in?

"Does she have superpowers?" I asked.

"That is none of your business," Bill said.

"Fine, whatever. I'm only trying to get to know my future stepmother." No, I wasn't. I was flat out being nosy.

Eric smirked. "I will take her in but since this is no small matter, you owe me big time."

Bill nodded. "I understand." He stood up, walked to the door and opened it. "Goodbye Tallula," he said as an afterthought before he disappeared from the doorway.

And just like that, I had been abandoned by my Maker and pawned off to a stranger. I would've cried but I didn't like Bill.

Eric and I studied each other. I had no clue what to say and he obviously wasn't in any hurry to start a conversation but then an image from the trial flashed through my mind. "You were there. But you weren't cheering."

"I was not there for my own amusement."

"Would you have cheered if you were?"

"No," Eric said and this made me like him a little more.

"Are all trials like that?"

"No." And that's all he said. He kept studying me and it was getting annoying.

"Are you going to keep talking to me in one-word sentences?"

"No," he said. I glared at him but then he smirked.

"I don't appreciate being messed with," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I am at a difficult stage in my undead life and I don't need you making it any worse. Bill was bad enough as it is."

Eric gave a slight bow of his head towards me. "I apologize, Ms. Riggs."

"You're still messing with me." I crossed my arms again.

"You are correct."

I huffed and we descended into silence. Didn't he have something more important to do with his time than stare at me? Like that paperwork he was doing earlier.

If we were going to sit here I might as well get some answers. "Why did Bill have to make me?"

"He killed a vampire to protect a human. Killing a fellow vampire is a grave offense."

"What human?"

"Sookie Stackhouse," Eric said.

"Oh, his girlfriend. I can't be too mad about that but I'm going to be. What's so special about her anyways?" Not that it bothered me.

"I don't trust you enough to divulge that information."

I rolled my eyes. "Fantastic. Now you're starting to sound like Bill," I said, fully intending it to be an insult.

"You don't like him."

"Duh, Captain Obvious," I said. Eric gave me a scary warning look. Uh-oh. He didn't appreciate my tone and I wouldn't put it past him to physically reprimand me. I might've been able to guilt Bill out of hurting me but that wouldn't work with Eric.

"Are you not grateful to Bill for turning you?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"Maybe," I admitted. I didn't feel like lying to Eric right now. I'd rather save that tactic for later before he could figure out my tells, which I'm sure he would. I was a great liar but I wasn't perfect at it. "But I liked being human."

"You will like being vampire even more." He was so sure of it, as if he thought being a vampire was the greatest thing in the world.

I wasn't too optimistic. "Please tell me when that's going to happen."

"First, you need real blood."

I sat up straighter and leaned forward in my chair. "Seriously? This isn't a joke? I get to feed on a human?" I asked, full of hope and hopefully full of blood soon.

"I will even let you choose who. Although, they have to be willing."

With that said, horror came crashing down on my excitement. Mother of God, I wanted to drink a person's blood. I craved it but I was a human a couple of days ago and here I was eager to bite somebody without remorse. What was wrong with me? Oh yeah, Bill had turned me into a blood sucking monster.

"Never mind. Do you have any TruBlood?"

Eric stared at me critically. "You must remember now, you're a different race. A superior one."

"But vampires used to be human," I pointed out.

"We've evolved," he said loftily.

"By magic... presumably. We are definitely not a part of Mother Nature's plan. Vampires aren't natural. All living things must die."

"We are dead." He shrugged. Wow, his shoulders are really wide.

"You know what I mean. Die and not become reanimated corpses."

"I am ending this conversation. You will feed on a human tonight whether you want to or not," Eric said firmly. Very firmly.

Oh boy, he wasn't my Maker but the way he ordered me made it feel like I had no choice but to obey. And obey I would. He frightened me right now more than feral Bill had earlier in the night.

"Pam," he said and in a few seconds she appeared in front of his desk. I would've said she had teleported but the office door was open again showing that that's where she had entered the room.

"Yes, Eric."

"Take Tallula and dress her in something more appropriate. She will be joining me in the bar tonight," he said. I was? And what exactly were Eric and I going to do in the bar? I refuse to dance and the no feeding in public places government policy meant I wouldn't be dining on a customer in front of the customers unless Eric wanted a visit from the law so I had no clue what to expect.

I dutifully followed Pam out of Eric's office and a little ways down the hall. Pam opened a door that brought us to an even shorter hallway and made a beeline for an open door on our right. She flipped the light switch on as soon as she entered and my eyes went wide at the sheer amount of clothing stuffed in the small room.

"I know exactly what you should wear."

Pam pulled out a dress from one of the crowded wracks with a flourish. It had cap sleeves and a plunging V-neck a little too daring for my taste which I thought was balanced out by its knee length until I noticed the slit on the right side went nearly up to where your hip would be and the side of your underwear would be showing, that is if you were wearing any. The color was an intense, dark purple you'd find in a bruise. I'm sure there must be a name for it but that's what came to mind when I looked at the slinky dress.

"There's no way I'm wearing that." I shook my head. Not going to happen. I was a size ten but not one of those size ten models that somehow don't have any belly pooch or aren't sporting a little bit of back fat. This dress would not be forgiving. It's not like I hate my body but I've never been very confident in how I look. Except for my lips. Not gonna lie, they're amazing but otherwise I couldn't even fake it until I make it although I've tried. "You may be able to pull that off, but I can't."

Pam rolled her eyes and continued to hold out the dress for me to take. "Sugar, the only reason I am this skinny is because I didn't eat enough when I was alive."

"Oh."

"Human beauty standards are fickle. Do not worry yourself over them. You are vampire now. Put it on or I'll do it for you." She sounded like she would very much enjoy dressing me, perhaps a little too much so I quickly grabbed the dress and waited for her to leave the room but she didn't budge.

"Uh, can I get a little privacy?"

"I didn't take you for a shy one but all right, I'll leave." She left but didn't shut the door all the way so I had to finish closing it. There was a full-length mirror hanging on this side of the door and I ignored it. Instead, I looked for a lock but there wasn't one and I sighed. There was nothing to stop Pam from bursting in and I honestly wouldn't put it past her to do exactly that.

I took off my flats and shucked Bill's clothing, leaving them to wrinkle on the floor with no plans to return them to him. I wasn't wearing a bra or panties and the not having a bra concerned me until I noticed that the dress had one built in. I unzipped the dress and pulled it up over me. So far it fit but would it zip up all the way?

I groaned when I realized I couldn't reach the zipper past my midback and Pam would need to help me.

"Pam," I said. She was next to me in a flash and I winced. "Can you help zip me up?"

"Of course," she said, smiling like a cat that got the cream. Her hands trailed from the small of my back up to where the zipper was, making me shiver. I felt a tug as she pulled it all the way up. "There. It fits you like I knew it would."

"Sorry for doubting you," I said. "It'll probably happen again."

"Now we need shoes." With vampire speed, Pam searched through the shoes and I concentrated on following her movements. I needed the practice because if I was going to be attacked by a vampire I wanted to actually make out what they were doing instead of only seeing a blur and then ending up dead.

There was a small pile of heels on the floor before Pam finally settled on a pair. She held them up to display them like she had the dress and I shook my head again. They were satin-y gold but that wasn't the problem. The heels were seven inches tall.

Up until a couple of years ago I had been a walking disaster in heels and it took many lessons from my roommate to learn how to walk in them. I only worked up to six-inch heels because my roommate said anything above that was delving into stripper territory and he didn't think I'd ever have the need to walk in heels that tall. He was wrong.

"You're lucky I found these. You have big feet."

"Hey! I do not," I protested. Although nine and a half wasn't exactly dainty. "For your information, the average size of women's feet have been getting bigger since the early 1900s."

I had looked that up in the journal databases I had access to during college when I should have been researching Minoans.

"How enlightening. Put them on," she said with no room for argument so I took the least painful path and did as she told me.

After the shoes were on, Pam dragged me into what looked like a dressing room and twisted my hair into a sleek bun. She put makeup on me with a practiced hand. I looked in one of the mirrors and saw that I had on smoky gold eyeshadow that matched my heels and purple lipstick a few shades lighter than my dress. The effect was beautiful and I'd never looked so chic in my entire life but my nerves prevented me from smiling.

"Eric is already out there. When you walk through the bar hold your head high and ignore everyone. When you reach Eric you will sit on his right side. Absolutely do not hesitate or wait for permission to take a seat," Pam said, poking and prodding me for last minute adjustments to my dress.

"Why am I doing this?" I don't know why I hadn't bothered to ask earlier.

"Because Eric has decided to like you and he wants others to show you respect." She sounded mildly disgusted at the thought making me feel mildly insulted.

"Do you like me?"

"I haven't decided yet," Pam said.

"But you sort of act like you like me." Or at least like she didn't hate me.

"That is irrelevant."

"Sure whatever you say." I shrugged. "But I'm pretty sure you like me."

"I tolerate you, that is all." As if to prove her point, Pam 'accidently' managed to pinch me.

"I don't know. You're getting a little defensive."

"It would be a shame to get blood on that dress."

"Okay, chill. I was only teasing you." I smoothed out my dress unnecessarily. "So basically, I act like my shit don't stink."

"That's a crude way to put it and inaccurate since you no longer have that bodily function, but yes." She stepped back to get a good look at me and nodded, seemingly satisfied with what she saw.

"Aren't the other vampires going to get pissed at me? I'm a nobody. They're gonna think I'm an upstart baby vamp."

"That is their problem, not yours," Pam said. "Now go. We've wasted enough time. And don't fuck it up."

"You totally like me," I said and hurried away as fast I could in my heels before Pam retaliated.

I peeked into the bar from around a corner, quickly scanning it for Eric and oh for God's sake. He was on a throne. Of course he was.

It was now the moment of truth. I could either do this right or face Pam's wrath which I felt like she wasn't beyond breaking an arm or a leg. At least that's the vibe I got from her or maybe it was only a front but I'm seriously reconsidering wanting to voluntarily be around her. Then again, being her friend might disqualify me from any bodily harm doled out by her.

Okay, deep breath. Who the fuck cares that I don't need it to keep 'living'? I sure don't because right now I needed it to survive this performance. I stepped around the corner and started to walk towards Eric on his throne (still not over it) with all the confidence I could muster and then some.

I pretended not to notice the turning heads and if my heart still pumped blood I'm sure I would be blushing. I felt absurd and wanted to turn right back around so I could hide in one of the back rooms.

Miraculously I made it across the room and sat down with all the grace of a ballerina to the right of Eric.

"Good of you to join me," he said quiet enough so only I could hear him.

"Like I had a choice," I said in an equally quiet voice.

"You made quite an entrance."

"I decided I didn't want to piss off Pam."

"You enjoyed it," he said, sounding smug.

"Far from it. You don't know me at all."

"We have plenty of time to get to know one another," Eric said with a sly smile and I knew exactly what he was insinuating. Once again, if I could've blushed I would have.

We stopped talking and Eric pulled out his cell phone while I examined my nails. My cuticles were perfect.

"You have some admirers," he suddenly said. I looked over at him and scoffed.

"Sure I do. Well, they better not come over. They can stay put and admire me from afar. I don't feel like dealing with them." I'd feel bad for having to reject them and send them away because I knew that's what Eric would want me to do. No small talk with the plebeians.

"And that's precisely the attitude I'm looking for." Eric was now staring at me and I resisted turning away.

"I aim to please," I said with a biting tone.

"You still have to look around and choose who you want."

I stopped myself from shifting in my seat and giving away how uncomfortable I was. "Damn, I was hoping you'd forget about that."

"Remember to look bored," Eric said, going back to his cell phone.

"That won't be too hard."

I searched the room looking dutifully bored, dismissing this person and that one. And so on it went as I felt like I was at a disturbing buffet. I was about to settle on a man I could at least tolerate when a woman entered the bar.

"Her." I motioned a finger without hesitation towards the woman as she sat on a stool at the bar.

"You have good taste," Eric murmured.

She had dark brown hair that was almost black cut into a short bob and even from far away I could tell she had hazel eyes. She was wearing a tight, sapphire blue dress that was already garnering attention from other patrons. It was easy to tell that this woman liked to flirt with danger and for the first time in my life, I was danger.

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 **A/N: So what do you think? Keep the feedback coming because I need to know that I'm not mucking anything up. One of the things I'd like to know is how I did with Pam and Eric. Are they IC or OOC because I haven't been reacquainted with True Blood for very long so it's a bit difficult to get their voices (hopefully) right. Also, please tell me if Tallula ever gets annoying and I'll adjust accordingly if needed. I feel like I'm walking a fine line over here between amusing snark and irritating pest.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to** **Capo LunaRossa, 3rd, Emmettluver2010, permisable, Racheeele, Liz, and Guest for the reviews. Thank you so much for the feedback! And thank you for the follows and the favorites.**

 **I'm so glad you're enjoying this story.**

Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood.

* * *

Eric had Pam summon the woman to us like he did this on a regular basis, which he probably did. For a split second the woman looked excited but she shut that down soon by arranging her face into a cool exterior which would have actually turned me off if I hadn't seen her real reaction.

The woman followed Pam, who looked utterly disinterested, towards Eric and me.

"Take your time. You are vampire," Eric said, which I interpreted as be a haughty bitch. I could do that, sort of.

When the woman stood before us, Pam wandered away. I decided to stare at the woman for an uncomfortable amount of time before I spoke. Eric went along with it so I guess he approved of my tactic. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Eric was definitely an arrogant bastard and getting his approval meant I was being one too.

"What's your name?" I asked when the woman began to squirm.

"Lily," she answered, the relief evident on her face making her look years younger than she had earlier and I wondered exactly how old she was. Old enough to drink but that still meant she could be younger than me. The prospect made me feel a little icky.

"Would you like to join us for a little after party when the bar closes, Lily?" Eric asked. I was grateful for him stepping in because I was close to getting cold feet and telling Lily to leave and stay away from vampires. "Tallula here would very much like to get to know you better."

But I was starving so I pushed those feelings aside and hopefully gave her a seductive smile. She looked momentarily startled. I'm guessing because she thought she had caught Eric's eye and not mine but after a few seconds she appeared to be all for it.

"That sounds fun. I can't wait," Lily said. Now she was the one looking me up and down. When she finished our eyes met and I raised an eyebrow at her. Lily blushed and I felt like laughing.

Instead I gave her a very shallow nod of my head. "You may go."

There was a flash of disappointment on her face and she must have thought she'd have the privilege of sitting up there with us. Privilege. Geez, was Eric rubbing off on me so soon? Was my character that weak?

Anyways, Lily recovered and sauntered off back to her seat at the bar, relishing in the stares she was getting by humans and vampires alike. Some of the looks the humans gave were less than friendly. Jealousy does not look pretty on anyone.

"You did well. I am proud of you," Eric said, much to my surprise and consternation.

"I'll be sure to note that down in my diary so I can remember this moment for the rest of my life."

Eric laughed, which according to the astonished looks all of the vampires were giving him, including Pam who was at the entrance again, it was akin to watching Jesus walk on water.

His laugh hadn't been derisive or condescending but seemed to come from pure amusement. It was a good laugh but apparently not one heard very often by the public, if ever at all.

Eric didn't appear to notice the stares and one by one the vampires went back to what they were doing, only Pam was the last one left looking at her Maker and ignoring those waiting in line at the door.

I was merely glad he had smiled instead of glowered at me but the smile didn't last and we went back to looking bored.

On the outside I was aloof but on the inside I was bouncing up and down, eagerly waiting for Fangtasia to close at 3AM. Predictably, the time dragged on, occasionally broken up by a human approaching Eric on his throne and me I guess.

The latest one was a frat boy who swaggered up to us like he was the shit, turning his head to look at his buddies a couple of times. What did I ever do to have such a douche come stand in front of me?

I studied my nails again, genuinely interested in them more than the frat boy and hoping he'd take it as a sign to go away. I hadn't painted them in awhile and contemplated what color I should do next. Maybe a bright shade of blue. Or how about turquoise? That sounded nice. Should I do gold glitter on top? Would that be too much? I wonder what Pam's opinion on glitter was.

The frat boy cleared his throat loudly and I finally looked up at him. "Oh, you're not gone yet."

That threw him off but he made a valiant effort to pull himself together. "Are you a vampire? My friends over there say you aren't but I think they're wrong."

I glanced over at Eric who gave me a small one shoulder shrug without even looking at me. No help from him then. "Your friends are wrong. How nice for you," I said, trying my best to channel Pam.

"I knew it!" The frat boy turned around and did some kind of hand gesture that signaled to his friends that he was right. He turned back around and looked expectantly at me.

"Why are you still bothering me, breather?" I asked, using a term Eric had said earlier which I inferred wasn't intended as a nice nickname for humans. Although, 'fangers' isn't exactly a nice name for vampires either so I guess both sides get to partake in name-calling fun.

"Do you want to hang out with us?"

I snorted, my cool vampire persona cracking. "I'd rather pull my own fangs out then associate with shitheads like you."

"Bitch," he said and I smirked at his outrage, not surprised at all in the sudden shift in his attitude. His type was all too common in the world. He took two steps forward, preparing to say something else.

Eric straightened out of his slouch. "Come any closer and I will rip your legs off."

"You can't threaten me! It's against the law," the frat boy said like the big baby he was, drawing attention to us from around the bar. Lily was fascinated with the scene and hopefully this wasn't turning her off. Two of his friends stood up, looking like they were trying to decide if they should come over, whether to back their buddy up or drag him away I didn't know.

"It's not a law, dumbass. It's a shit bill that'll never make it out of the House," I said, wasting my breath (figuratively).

"I'll call the cops on you and we'll see who's right," the frat boy said. Good lord, he was stupid enough to threaten a vampire with the police. A low growl began to emanate from Eric and I knew things would not end up pretty so I had to do something. I'd be the lesser evil and plus, I really wanted to hurt this man-baby.

I sped out of my chair and pushed the frat boy. I'm glad I hadn't used my full strength, which was still untested, because he flew at least ten feet backwards before dropping onto the ground like the world's dumbest sack of potatoes. He groaned and the two buddies that had stood up earlier came rushing to him, picking him off the floor and carrying him back to their table.

If Bill was here he'd be so pissed right now. I turned around to look at Eric, fully expecting to be in trouble, but he was back to texting.

I sat down, not proud of myself but I wasn't regretting any of it, at least for the moment. What had I been thinking about again? Oh yeah, Pam probably hates glitter nail polish.

The frat boys left about ten minutes after the incident and no more humans approached us. I thought about more than just nail polish to pass the time. I still hadn't quit my job and that was high on my list of baby vampire chores. I didn't mind being a teacher's assistant. I think I might even miss it.

It was still summer so they didn't have any reason to suspect that I had been kidnapped and was technically a missing person. If I thought about it too hard, it was sad that I didn't have very many people in my life that would file a missing person's report.

The last call dredged me out of my dreary thoughts and I looked around for Lily, spotting her at a booth engrossed in her cellphone. Good, my dinner hadn't run away. Fifteen more minutes and she'd be all mine.

Thanks to Pam's glares the bar cleared out quickly and appearances did not have to be upheld as strictly so I kicked my heels off, briefly wondering if it was a good idea going barefoot with who knows what on the bar floor. Possibly blood and alcohol. Eh, it's not like I couldn't wash my feet.

Eric had disappeared in the blink of an eye so I went looking for him in his office, feeling a little bad for deserting Lily even though I didn't expect to be gone for very long.

The door was cracked open so I went in without knocking. He was standing, bent over his desk and leaning on it with his left hand. In his right was a pen he was using to write rapidly on a piece of paper. With his head lowered his hair created a curtain around his face. If Eric had been human he wouldn't have known I was in the room.

"What do you want?" He asked in a chilly voice.

"Oh, uh." If I had a pebble in front of my foot I would've kicked it. "I thought you were gonna tell me how to not fuck up when I'm eating my first human." He looked up at me. "It was your idea," I said quickly.

He looked back down at the paper. "I have a more important matter to attend to but when I am finished we will begin."

Okay... I'm fully aware the world doesn't revolve around me and definitely not Eric's world but what the hell was I supposed to do in the meantime? I didn't think I could spend any time in close proximity to Lily without ripping her throat out and it was all too fresh in my mind what that felt like. My hunger was becoming a monster in its own right and I doubt Pam would make much of an effort to stop me. Picturing Bill's black eyes and bloody mouth made me shudder and I had a feeling it would for a very long time. I didn't want to do that to Lily.

Eric switched from writing on the paper to his computer and for someone with vampire speed he was an annoyingly slow typer and I was 90% sure he was doing it on purpose.

"Stop staring," he said, not looking away from the computer screen.

"You like it." If this man didn't love being looked at then I'd eat my own foot.

"I guess you know me better than I know you," he said, glancing over at me. "You like what you see?"

"Not really," I said and that was the plain truth. He was too fucking scary to turn me on. Also, he was an ass. "I'm trying to see if I can get you to hurry up through telepathic mind control. It's not working."

Something flickered in his eyes but it was gone before I could figure out what. "I can teach you how to glamour tonight."

Awesome, a two-for-one lesson. "I'm down for that," I said, trying to not explode with excitement.

Eric finished whatever the hell he was doing and as we walked out of his office to the bar he told me the basics of how to feed. "When the heartbeat slows and the blood doesn't flow as freely you need to stop."

"Got it."

We entered the bar and Lily looked excited to see us. Poor girl's been waiting hours for this and I felt like she was getting the short end of the stick.

"Bring her to the couch," Eric said.

I walked over to Lily. Did I still need to be aloof or could I be friendly now? "Hey Lily. How are you?"

"I'm great," she said with a bright smile. I forced myself to smile back.

"Come to the couch. Let's get a little more comfortable."

I walked away and I could hear her following me. We both sat down and it honestly felt like an awkward first date. Ugh.

Eric was sitting in a chair near us. "What next?" I asked him.

"Lily, look at me," Eric said and she obeyed, making eye contact with him. "You are going to remain calm." Lily nodded, in a trance.

"Woah. How do I do that?"

"You need to make eye contact. Empty your mind and let her mind fill yours."

I nodded. "Lily, look at me," I said and she turned from Eric to me. We made eye contact and I tried to empty my mind. I didn't think it was working and was about to give up when I felt it. It was her mind and I was drawing it towards my own. How is that even possible?

"Do you feel it?" Eric asked and I nodded. "Good. Now impose your will on her. She is yours to manipulate."

What should I say? "Lily, whatever happens you will not be scared."

Lily nodded. "I won't be scared."

"If I bite too hard you will not feel pain."

"There will be no pain." Her blank voice was creepy.

"Exactly. Now relax," I told her. The small amount of tension she carried went away as if she'd had the best massage of her life. "What now?" I asked Eric.

"You bite her neck. Remember where I told you to."

I scooted so close to Lily our bodies were touching and I leaned towards her. She didn't seem to mind. It felt strangely intimate and now I understood why feeding and sex so often went together for vampires. Frankly, I was a little embarrassed that Eric was watching. Could performance anxiety keep my fangs from coming out? Now another thing I understood is how guys probably felt when they were hoping they could get a hard-on despite their nerves.

Wait, how did male vampires get it up when their heart isn't pumping blood? Do they have magical dicks? I wanted to snicker at the idea like a middle school boy but that would ruin the mood and most likely offend Lily.

I didn't have to worry because my fangs came out without me even trying and as carefully as I could, I bit her neck.

The first taste was euphoric. The blood wasn't as metallic as I thought it would be. It tasted a little sweet and that's about the extent to which I could describe it. I think I groaned in relief as I held her closer and closed my eyes.

I listened to her heartbeat since I needed to know when it started getting slower. This was my first meal and I wanted to do it right.

With each draw of blood my hunger lessened but I had a hard time focusing on her heartbeat. It scared me that when I had started drinking her blood I cared less about accidently killing her. I mean, I still cared but for some reason my priorities changed. My need for blood came first, her life came second. I hoped it was a baby vampire thing and with age this feeling would go away. Please let control become easier.

It was gradual but her pulse slowed and it happened sooner than I would have liked. I stopped sucking the blood out of her and licked off what was smeared on her neck instead. When I was done with that I leaned back and felt Eric right behind me. I assumed he was there to pull me off of Lily if I lost control.

I let go of her and she slumped on the couch, looking blissful and a little zoned out. The idea that getting fed on was pleasurable, even without sex, was bizarre to me but it sure made things easier for vampires when humans were ready and willing. Although, I suspected many vampires missed the hunt and that there were vampires who had never stopped hunting.

I turned and looked up at Eric. I wouldn't be surprised if he still hunted humans.

"You did well," he said.

"I want more." Whoops, I sounded like a greedy bitch.

"We don't have any more humans around tonight so unless you want to kill Lily you won't be feeding again until tomorrow."

I groaned. "Fuck me."

"Is that an offer?" Eric asked and it didn't sound like he was joking.

"Shut up," I snapped at him. "And no, it wasn't." For a moment, I looked back wistfully at Lily. "Why am I so damn hungry?"

"Because you are a newly turned vampire. As you get older, you'll require less blood to sustain yourself."

"How old are you?" If it was rude to ask, I didn't care.

"A little over a thousand years old," he answered, not looking or sounding offended by the question.

"What?" I laughed. "That's so cool. Let me guess." I looked him up and down. "Viking!"

"Yes, I come from a place located in what is now known as Sweden," he said.

I could hardly wrap my mind around someone living for over a thousand years. Would I live to Eric's age? The prospect frightened me and I don't know if I wanted to have a life that long. What do you do with all that time on your hands? How do you deal with outliving so many people and witnessing how drastically the world changes? Nostalgia must be a bitch.

I didn't watch Lily leave in the taxicab Eric called for her. I didn't say goodbye either but I think she was too lightheaded to notice. I lost interest in her after I couldn't feed from her anymore. It was like a waiter taking away your empty plate. You didn't care what happened to it after it was gone. Oh shit. That's horrible. _I'm_ horrible.

Now I was depressed. Sad and hungry is not a good combination.

I was lying down on a black padded bench staring at the black ceiling and languishing. I was perfectly content to wallow in my own despair when Eric stood next to the bench near my head and leaned over me, preventing me from finishing counting the ceiling tiles. Twenty-eight so far.

"Get up," Eric said.

"I'd rather not."

"We don't have time for this. Dawn is coming in an hour." He grabbed my arm and pulled me into a sitting position. "Come, we are leaving."

"To where?" I asked apathetically.

"My house."

I sighed and stood up.

"I thought you'd be happy. After all, you've fed for the first time."

I groaned. "I'm a terrible human being."

"You are not human anymore," Eric said, exasperated.

"Semantics." I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm a terrible person."

"You are not."

"Says the sociopathic vampire with questionable morals."

"Morality is arbitrary."

"Says the sociopathic vampire with questionable morals."

Eric shook his head. "Your emotions are annoying me. I suggest you stop sulking."

"I am a newborn. I'm entitled to be emotional," I said, sounding a little bit like a brat.

"That doesn't make it any less irritating."

I let out a short laugh. "If you think this is annoying, then you're in for a crappy surprise."

"Get your things."

What things? My shoes were the only thing I had with me that I hadn't borrowed.

I vampire sped to the clothing room where I'd left my flats. I'd just missed the open doorway and the right half of my body hit the wall.

"Motherfucker," I hissed. I think I dislocated my shoulder and cracked my collarbone but at least I hadn't hit my head. Like this night couldn't get any worse, but it could because I called for Pam to help me pop my shoulder back into place, assuming she knew how to.

Pam appeared next to me with a hand on her hip and eyeing my unnaturally hanging arm. "Oh my, your first injury as a vampire. I thought you'd at least last another week."

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Not. You've just fed. Let your body heal itself," Pam said. Oh, come on.

"So my shoulder's gonna move back into place by itself? How?"

"Painfully, I imagine." Pam sounded delighted so I glared at her. "Hurry up."

I moved my right arm into a position that was the least painful and grabbed my flats. I followed Pam who led me outside through the employees only back exit where there was a small parking lot that contained a red sports car. How unimaginative of Eric.

He appeared and unlocked the car, all the while raising an eyebrow at my arm.

"Not a word," I said.

I crammed myself into the small backseat behind Pam because there was no leg room behind Eric, jostling my right arm more than I wanted and cursing at each shot of pain. A small grudge against Pam formed as I struggled to fish the seatbelt out from between the seat cushions and I gave up after the third try. Who cared if I got mangled in a fiery car wreck? At the moment, it wasn't me.

Eric started the car and drove out of the parking lot. He and Pam started talking in Swedish, I think, which was fine with me because I wasn't up for conversation especially with these two.

I was looking out the window increasingly worried about how fast the scenery was passing by when all of a sudden, my muscles seized and of their own accord pushed everything back into place. I cursed rather loudly but a few seconds after I felt brand new. I rolled my right shoulder without pain and grinned like an idiot.

I'm guessing Eric and Pam were unimpressed since neither of them bothered to look at me and continued to talk about probably super-secret vampire stuff in Swedish.

It was a ten or fifteen minute drive before Eric drove up to a gated community with a security guard at the entrance. According to his shirt his name was Henry. He took his job too seriously which I suppose is a good thing in a security guard although I didn't like the way he eyed me as if I was trouble. He might as well have said 'I've got my eye on you' but for his own good he didn't because Eric probably would have gouged that eye out.

He drove a few streets into the neighborhood before Eric pulled into the driveway of a mini mansion but the name was misleading. There was nothing mini about it. I didn't get much of a good look at the outside before we were in the garage which was void of everything that would usually be in a garage and anything else for that matter. The only thing in it was another car, less flashy but looking equally expensive as the red sports car we were in.

We all got out of the car and went through a door that opened into a kitchen, while a nice size seemed a little small for such a big house. Neither of them bothered giving me a tour.

I got a peek of the foyer as we passed by and saw it was big enough to fit my living room _and_ my bedroom. I noticed that the windows had light tight metal shutters and all the ones I saw were closed.

"This way," Pam said to me and she led me to an upstairs hallway. "You will be staying in one of the guest rooms." I nodded and she opened a door in the middle of the hallway on the right. I looked into the room and was pleasantly surprised.

"Wow, this is nice," I said. The room felt light and airy. I could only imagine how beautiful the light shades of green and pale yellow looked in the sunlight.

"Of course it is. This is Eric's house," she said and I had to stifle a laugh. She acted like Eric was the greatest thing to happen in this world and I wondered if this was how a bond between Maker and their progeny was supposed to be. If so, I thank my lucky stars I wasn't devoted to Bill like Pam was to Eric. At least Eric seemed like he was at least somewhat worthy of it. I couldn't deny that he was a great vampire. Bill, not so much.

There was a bathroom attached to the bedroom so I took a quick shower and came out smelling heavenly. Pam let me borrow one of her silky pajama sets. Her 'seafoam blue' one because apparently it brought out the light blonde highlights in my hair and made my brown eyes stand out. Whatever. The pants barely fit me but the top was fine.

I settled into bed ready to sleep for the day but an uneasiness overtook me and I couldn't shake it. I could feel that sunrise was coming soon and I was way more tired than I had been a few minutes ago.

I shot out bed and left my room. I needed to find Pam. Not about to wonder around this mansion, I decided to listen for movement. I hadn't really used my enhanced vampire hearing. The bar had been so noisy and loud, it had overwhelmed my ears a little so I had tried to keep all the noise in the background and only tuned into Eric or whatever sound I needed to actually pay attention to. Come to think of it, I don't even know how I managed to do that.

I heard a rustling sound and it was in another part of the second floor. I'd check that out first and hope it wasn't Eric. I followed the rustling to the other side of the house and down a hallway that looked identical to the one where my room was.

The sound stopped but I pinpointed it to behind a door in the middle of the hallway on the left. It mirrored my own bedroom.

I knocked on the door, so tentative that a human couldn't hear it but a vampire would. Let it be Pam. Let it be Pam.

"What do you want?" an annoyed sounding Pam asked.

"Can I come in?"

There was a long pause. "Fine."

I opened the door, not letting her tone deter me from my mission. I entered the room and Pam was standing next to her bed with her arms crossed.

"Is there a reason you're bothering me?" Pam asked.

"Yes." Might as well rip off the band aid. "Can I sleep in your room today?"

Pam arched an eyebrow. "I am not your mother."

I rolled my eyes. "I know that. It's just...being dead for the day still freaks me out. I don't want to be alone."

"Baby vamps usually sleep in close proximity to their Maker so it is not surprising that you feel the need to be near another vampire."

"So is that a yes?" I asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately for me, it is," she said. I don't think she minded it as much as she was letting on. Pam wasn't afraid of saying no.

"Thanks!"

"No need to be so dramatic."

Pam settled onto her bed but didn't get under the covers. I laid down to her left as far away as possible, snuggling under the blankets and turning my back to her. This was way better than a hole in the ground. I was on a mattress and I had a fluffy pillow. Dreams really do come true.

"Can vampires dream?" It would totally suck if I couldn't do that anymore.

"Yes." I felt Pam move. "And if you ask another question I will send you back to your room."

"Sorry." I paused. "Have a nice sleep."

"Quiet."

"Thanks Pam, I'll have a nice sleep too," I said, smirking to myself. I don't know how she managed to reach across the king size bed but Pam kicked me. "Rude."

Before she could respond we were both out like a light.

* * *

I woke up and instantly knew something was wrong. I rolled over to find Pam still sleeping which didn't set off any alarms because I'd woken up before Bill but I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't supposed to be up.

Pam's cell phone was charging on her nightstand so I tiptoed over to it and turned the screen on. It read 12:05PM. How could that be right? And if it was, what in the holy hell was I doing up so early? Were my vampire senses broken?

I closed my eyes to concentrate better and no, it didn't feel like it was night. That feeling was sweet relief and the one I was getting right now was cringe worthy, like my body instinctively knew I would burn to a crisp if I stepped outside. From what Bill told me, the bleeds would start anytime soon and that was one vampire experience I was willing to avoid for as long as possible but there was one more thing I wanted to check.

It took no time at all to find Eric.

His bedroom was full of greys and a rich, dark green. The bed was a king-sized four poster made out of some type of dark grey wood. The posts were carved to look like trees but the headboard was minimalist.

In the middle of all this was Eric, sprawled on his back taking up as much room as he was capable of. I went a few steps into the room before I realized that he was completely naked and only covered from the waist down by a thin grey sheet.

This would be a good time to back out of the room like a decent, personal space respecting person but no, that's not what I decided to do. Does creeping on a sleeping vampire a second time make it my thing? Because I don't want to be known for that even if I was the only one that knew it.

I wish I could promise myself that this would be the last time but I have a feeling this will happen again. Can I blame Bill for this? He seemed like a creeping type of guy and maybe I inherited it from him through his blood by magic or something. Yeah, no flawed logic to see here.

I walked even closer and it was disturbing to see someone sleeping who wasn't breathing. He wasn't making any noise and there was no expression on his face. Unless dead was an expression.

There was a strand of hair on his forehead that I had the urge to brush out of the way so it was a good thing I was still far out of arms reach from him. I stopped about six feet away from the bed and stared, fully expecting him to open his eyes any second now and catch me. I'm sure he wouldn't be angry and would instead find the situation amusing and even more so the embarrassment I would suffer. It'd be something he'd bring up decades from now, that is if I survived that long and we were still in touch.

I contemplated trying to wake him up and see how hard it was but if I succeeded I could only imagine how mad he'd get so I left his room, making sure to close the door behind me.

A big yawn took me by surprise and whatever burst of energy I had was fading away. Before I passed out in the hallway I practiced running vampire speed back to Pam's room and into bed, successfully not slamming into any walls and leaving a Tallula shaped imprint in the plaster. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me.

* * *

 **A/N: So what do you think? Anything stand out? Are you looking forward to anything? How do you think Tallula is faring?**

 **The next update is going to take awhile. As much fun as Tallula is to write she can also be exhausting. I have the big picture for chapter 4 but that's about it. I need to hammer out a timeline because the notes I've taken are a hot mess and the events are written out of order. Plus, I dived into this story without a long term plan and that's gonna slow things down. I've got a lot of ideas though and more coming as I continue to rewatch True Blood.**

 **Also my lovely readers, I have a favor to ask. I want to put a summary of this story in my profile but I have no flippin' clue what to write without giving away too much so any ideas are much appreciated. My inbox is open.**


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